Vehicle exteriors typically include components attached thereto that aid to form the shape of the body or accentuate the styling of the vehicle. Example components include fender flares, cladding, panels, ground effects, scoops and trim pieces, among others. These components are typically made from a plastic material and thus are lighter than their metal counterparts. Plastic components are also less susceptible to environmental degradation and damage from minor impacts.
Attaching plastic components to metal substrates of the vehicle, such as body panels, poses several problems. First, plastic and metal are incompatible for welding. Consequently, the components must be secured to the substrate with adhesives or mechanical fasteners. However, mounting a component in this way can be problematic due to inherent differences in the rates of thermal expansion for plastic and metal, which can cause deformation of the component if it is rigidly attached to the metal substrate. Such distortion is easily visible to an observer and detracts from the esthetics of the vehicle.
Another drawback of using plastic body components is the need to include molded-in mounting structures such as recesses or “doghouses” that accommodate common fasteners for attaching the component to the vehicle. These attachment structures can cause slide marks, sink marks, recesses, dimples and other visible imperfections on the exterior surface of the component. These flaws, which are inherent to molded components having complex geometries, detract from the esthetics of the vehicle.
There is a need for a way to attach components to the exterior of a vehicle without the need for a molded-in fastener attachment feature that can cause visible surface imperfections. There is a further need for a way to attach components that provides for thermal expansion of the components.